ARIZONA: Black Hawk helicopters and truck-sized X-ray machines typically deployed along the US-Mexico border have been brought to the Super Bowl venue to assist with security.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) showed off the technology on Monday (NZT early Tuesday) as it helps with Super Bowl security at the University of Phoenix stadium, Arizona.
CBP commissioner Richard Kerlikowske was on hand for a demonstration of the agency’s Black Hawks and large mobile X-ray machines that are used to detect contraband and explosives.
The helicopters and X-ray machines were from Tucson and Nogales, some of the busiest spots in the nation for the smuggling of drugs and immigrants.
Kerlikowske said Arizona’s border with Mexico still has adequate security while some equipment is used in Glendale for the Super Bowl.
He said it’s not just the technology that will help keep the big game safe, but the expertise behind it.
“The real key about this equipment is the people who operate them,” Kerlikowske said.
The CBP is also deploying about 100 officers who will assist other federal and local law enforcement agencies.
They slowly pan outside a semi-truck while operators inside the X-ray machine look for anomalies. The X-ray machines are in heavy use at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, one of the busiest ports of entry for commerce in the country.
